Happy
by Roymeo
Summary: And for the first time in my life, with Robin, I really am happy. If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself. Robin/OC - The Third Installment in the Jesster Chronicles - rated T because Jesster has a potty mouth
1. Happy: Part 1

**A/N: Well, here it is! This one isn't very exciting, but it explains Jesster's background, how she got her name, and why she is the way she is, I guess. Fortunately for you guys, it's going to be a multi-chapter fic all within a few days of each other. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't review every chapter! ha ha. I'd like to send a quick thanks to** lizziefarfelo, breadwhatwhat, Lavendersalamander, A, togo65, elturron78, Sammie, WiseGirl-AC, Yancha Kitsune, WitchBitterRose,** and **Penny Tortoiseshell** for their support because without any of them, this definitely wouldn't even _exist. _****Review please!**

"Robin, where are we going?" I laughed as he eagerly tugged on my hand, leading me down a street in Who-Knows-Where Gotham City. He looked absolutely elated to be taking me somewhere instead of hiding out all the time. We were both dressed in our normal clothes: sweatshirts, jeans, and converse. We were like normal people. Imagine that – me, normal! "Would you quit running?"

"We're almost there!" he called back, turning a corner. I tripped slightly over a rise in the sidewalk, but thankfully righted myself just in time for me to slam into him. "Here."

I rubbed my eyes from the blinding sun reflecting off the snow around us – today was one of those rare days when the city wasn't covered in a thick blanket of fog, and the sky was relatively clear save for a few wispy clouds – before I looked up to see what Robin was so enthusiastic about.

"A diner?" I questioned, turning to him with my hands on my hips. "This is what you dragged me ten blocks to see?"

"Not just any diner!" he insisted, before eagerly pulling me inside the clanging double doors.

It was like stepping into the 50s. There were those atrocious red booths placed around the walls of the tiny dining area, with some small tables scattered here and there. Some construction workers were chatting up an older waitress wearing a poodle skirt at the bar with a steel countertop that jutted out from the kitchen, where the cook could be seen flipping burgers on a grill through the window. A few people were sitting down, but seeing as it was 2 o'clock on a weekday, there weren't many. "Wow, Robin, this is...really cool."

"I knew you'd like it. C'mon, I'm starving!" I allowed him to lead me to a booth farther away from the door, and slid across the vinyl to glance out the window. Robin caught my eye and gave me an impish grin, obviously smug about my reaction to the place after doubting him.

The sound of roller skates on tile flooring distracted us for a second, and we both turned out heads to see the waitress from behind the counter was skating over to us, yellow notepad in hand. "Hi, my name is Beth, what can I get you two lovebirds to drink today?" she asked, eying us both with a sly grin, obviously figuring out what was going on between us.

"Are we that obvious?" I blushed, this time with no paint to hide it from Robin's view.

She laughed, pointing at us with the blunt of her pen. "Well, you two are holding hands under the table."

We both coughed quickly and moved our hands to our own laps, averting our eyes from each other. "Uh, coke please," Robin muttered, accepting the menu from her. "Thanks."

"Make that two."

She winked at us, before stuffing the notepad back in her apron pocket, "Be right back."

The silence between us was deafening.

"So..." he began listlessly, glancing at me from behind his dark sunglasses.

"Robin, am I your girlfriend?" I asked, setting my menu down, before putting my chin on my interlaced hands and staring at him with the most innocent expression I could muster. Okay, yeah I know I'm being really blunt about this, but all last night I had been sitting there in that stupid hospital bed thinking about it. Robin was laying next to me, and he had fallen asleep with his arm around my waist, something "friends" don't do. And they also don't kiss, for sure. At least, I think they don't do that. What would I know, I've never had friends before.

The look on Robin's face would've been comical under any other circumstance, but the suspense was killing me and the only thing I could do was stare at him in anticipation of his answer. "I..."

"Here you go," the waitress – Beth – smiled, setting down two drinks in glass cups in front of each of us, placing a tall glass with some sort of milky substance in between us, with two stars sticking out of the top.

"But we didn't order...that..." I began, eyebrows knitting together in my confusion.

She simply laughed and winked at us, "On the house. Now, what can I get you?"

"Uh, cheeseburger without the tomatoes, and fries, please," I ordered, still eying the strange drink. What _was _that?

"Same. Thanks." He handed back the menus, and gave her a nod, to which she returned, before skating off behind the counter. "Why do you keep looking at the milkshake like that?"

"Oh, is that what it is?" I gasped, instantly grabbing at the straw and swirling it around in the cup. "Cool."

He laughed incredulously, taking a sip from his glass. "How could you not tell? Haven't you had a milkshake before?" I shook my head, confused. "It's like you've been living under a rock, Jess."

I froze, watching him over the rim of the milkshake glass, which I had leaned over to examine. "I never told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Well, how I got this way of course! My life story!" I took a sip of the milkshake and instantly got a brain freeze. Clutching at my head, I winced and squeezed my eyes shut. "Didn't I ever monologue to you about my childhood?"

"No," he began, raising an eyebrow from behind his dark glasses. "I don't think you did."

"Really?" He nodded, and I averted my eyes to my hands, which were in my lap again. "Would...would you like to hear about it?"

Robin placed his hand on the table, palm up, and I placed mine on top. He squeezed it tightly, offering a comforting smile, "Only if you're willing to tell me."

"Yeah, I think it's time someone knew...

"Well, I was born in 1997 to my parents, Thomas and Elena Houghs. My mother died giving birth to me, so it was just me and Dad. My dad, he was a psychologist, and not a very nice man...according to some accounts, I suppose. He was absolutely convinced he could tell the beginning signs of schizophrenia in infants. He began to make a checklist of these "warning signs" and decided to observe _me _for a change. The day finally came, when I was five, where dad came to the conclusion that I was a schizo, and shipped me off to Arkham. As –"

"Wait, wait, he put you in _Arkham?_" Robin repeated, completely bewildered.

"Mhm, he had some friends within the system who were just as much of loons as he was. Now can I get back to my story, please? Thank you." I brushed some of my hair out of my eyes with my free hand before carrying on. "Like I said, I was put in Arkham as a "special" patient, and one of the staff was hired to take care of me in addition to their usual duties. One guard offered, and I shadowed him for a while, meeting a lot of the inmates. Joker in particular had taken and immediate interest to me...

_..."Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a sly voice caught my attention as my guard, whom I called Joe, and I passed by a cell with a strange man inside. I turned, looking over my shoulder, to see lanky man with shaggy green hair, powdery white skin, and red lips; pressing his face up against the glass. Making sure Joe wasn't looking, I skipped over to stand in front of the clown man, innocent blue eyes wide. "Hello, girly."_

"_Hi," I beamed, waving with the hand that didn't have my raggedy bear's paw occupying it. "I'm Jessica."_

"_Nice to meet you kid. Call me Joker. Now, what's a little kid like you doing in a big, scary place like this?"_

"_My daddy said I was a ska...schizo-fuh..." my face screwed up in concentration as I tried to recall the word._

"_Schizophrenic?" the Joker offered in his gruff tone, laughing at my poor attempts at coming up with the right pronunciation._

"_Yeah, that. So he put me here so the peoples here could take care of me."_

"_JESS! JESS! What are you doing?" the loud voice of Joe startled me, and before I knew it I was being picked up by my caretaker, a team of guards crowding around us. "You stay away from her, you freak!"_

_They began to walk briskly away, and I twisted around in Joe's arms to stare over his shoulder at the Joker. Still grinning, I waved enthusiastically at my new friend, and he waved back, before throwing back his head and laughing_...

"Your burgers," Beth offered, setting down the plates in front of us. She turned to me. "Can I get you another Coke, hun?"

I glanced down at my glass. It was completely empty, much to my amusement. I must've drank all of it during my story. Nodding, I offered her a sheepish smile and handed her the glass. She accepted it happily, "Well, I'll be right back then."

"Do you want me to continue?" I asked, watching him through my lashes as I bit into a fry. At his nod, I took a deep breath and pursued. "Well, a little while after that incident I was in my room when the entire Asylum went on lock down. Lights flashing, loud yelling and heavy footfalls, all very frightening for a little girl in a building full of crazies. And then, after a couple minutes, everything got really, really quiet, I remember, and dark...

"_Ring around the rosie/ pocket full of posies/ ashes to ashes we all fall down," I sang to myself, huddled up in the corner of my bed as the lights everywhere shut off. My knees were drawn up to my chest and my bear was tucked in my arms. I was absolutely terrified of the dark at that age, and singing seemed to be the only way to comfort myself. "Ring around the rosie/ pocket full of posies..." I buried my face in my knees, feeling tears prick my eyes as I trembled._

"_Ashes to ashes we all fall down," a voice that wasn't mine finished the song, and my breathing quickened. A flashlight flickered on, and the light wavered about the room before it illuminated a twisted, pale face. I couldn't help it, I screamed. Joker jumped a foot in the air, the flashlight tumbling out of his hands. "Whoa, whoa kid! Shh! Shut up! You're gonna get me caught!"_

"_Sorry," I blushed, wiping the tears from my eyes. "Please don't be mad at me."_

"_Oh, I can't be mad at you," he chuckled, and I smiled a little, thankful for his forgiveness _(Of course, I didn't know it at the time, but he was simply mocking me). _He sat down next to me and wrapped a thin arm around my shoulder. "You're just too cute, kid."_

"_Can...can you tell me what's going on, Joker?"_

"_This..." he waved about his arms for emphasis. "This is called a lock down, kid."_

_I stared at him, confusedly, before slowly asking,"Why are we having one?"_

"_Because the people here don't like it very much when I come and visit you, my little Jesster," he joked, ruffling my hair. I giggled, slapping my hands on my head to stop him._

"_My name isn't Jesster, silly!" After I felt I sufficiently fixed my hair – really I just messed it up even more – I looked up at him. "My name is Jessica."_

"_Oh, but Jesster is my nickname for you," at my blank face, he rolled his eyes. "You know, like how that guard calls you Jess?"_

"_Oh, you mean Joe..." I nodded, staring off into the dark. The room was silent, before I turned to him with an excited look. "Guess what? All of our names start with Js! Jessica, Joe, and Joker! We can be one big, happy _J_ family!"_

"_Ah, I don't think so, Jesster."_

_I pouted, giving him the look that usually made the nurses give me candy. Sniffling, I shifted on the bed to face him completely and put my hands together. "But...but why not?"_

"_Remember how I said the Asylum doesn't like it when I come visit you?" I nodded. "Well, that Joe guy, he _really _doesn't like it. He doesn't want me to see you at all."_

_I gasped, "That's so mean!"_

_He snickered in that weird way of his. "It is, isn't it?"_

"_So...if we both don't see Joe...can we be a happy family, Joker?" I pleaded, jutting my lip out further. "I've never had one of those, and they sound nice!"_

"_Well, sure, kid."_

_Beaming as wide as I possibly could, so much that it hurt my cheeks, I threw my arms around his waist and held tight. "Yay! We'll be the happiest family in the world. I'll be the daughter, and you can be the daddy, and...well, we can find a mommy later."_

_The lights flickered on again, and Joker stood up, pushing me off of him just as the footsteps came and went again. "Well, Jesster, that's my cue. I'll see you around." He saluted me with a grin, to which I returned, before opening the door and creeping back out into the hallway. Squealing, I picked up my bear by his paws and swung him around._

"_Did you hear that, Teddy? We're going to have a family again!"_


	2. Happy: Part 2

**And finally we have Part 2! I'm so surprised I'm cranking all these out this fast, but incredibly proud at the same time. I'm running out of ideas here, though (i have like, one left), so if you guys have anything you'd like to see, review and I'll see what i can do :) Oh, and make sure to check out my other story, Take the Shot for some more YJ goodness!**

"_Happiness hit her like a train on a track  
>Coming towards her stuck still no turning back<br>She hid around corners and she hid under beds  
>She killed it with kisses and from it she fled"<em>

_- "Dog Days Are Over" by _**Florence and the Machine**

* * *

><p>… "Here ya go, hun. Can I get you anything else?" Beth interrupted yet again, handing me the cup. We both shook our heads. "Alright, holler if you need me."<p>

"So that was how the whole Jesster thing got started, then?" Robin asked, staring at me. I nodded, biting down hard on my lip and staring out the window. I never realized how absolutely _stupid _I had been at that age. I mean, to actually _trust _a psychotic criminal? No wonder my dad dubbed me a schizo, I _was_ crazy! "I just...can't believe he did something like that to an innocent kid like you."

"Yeah, well...You can't really be all that surprised, can you? The man's a manipulative animal; I was just the first one he got to. And then..." I trailed off, unsure if I should continue. He's probably heard most of this next story anyways.

"And then Harley?" he prodded, watching me carefully over the top of his burger.

I nodded my affirmative. "And then Harley. Unlike what you probably think, she was the first one I have ever met to show actual, genuine concern for my wellbeing. She came to work at Arkham when I was nine, after an inmate breakout that killed three of the doctors. Joker, obviously, was the cause, and he too escaped, but he was captured and brought back by Batman after a couple of weeks. He was placed in solitary confinement, and I wasn't allowed near that cell block, so Harley took it upon herself to take care of me...

… "_C'mon, sweetie. It's time for my first interview," Harleen grinned, swinging me around excitedly. I was very small and light for my age, mostly due to the lack of good food in the Asylum. _

"_Who are you interviewing, Harleen?" I asked eagerly, watching at her with my doe eyes. I had made friends with quite a few of the inmates, and I was crossing my fingers it would be someone like, like Ivy maybe, or Bane._

"_The Joker," she replied, and sounded absolutely mystified. "I mean, wow, my first patient is Gotham's most renowned criminal. I must be getting up there."_

_I turned away my head to hide my smile. I liked Doctor Quinzel a lot, almost as much as I liked Joker, but sometimes I wondered who was smarter – me or her? I'm only nine and I've never even set foot in kindergarten, but I seem to possess much more common sense. "Either that or nobody else wants to go near dad...Joker."_

_She froze, looking at me from behind her wire-rimmed, circular glasses. "Did you just mistakenly call the Joker..._dad?_"_

"_...No..." I snorted, staring at her with my eyes narrowed. "Maybe you should get your ears checked..."_

"_Hm...maybe you're right. Oh, we're here! My very own office! C'mon, Jessie!" she grabbed my hand, yanking my inside of the small, cluttered space. The room was small, barely enough to fit us, plus Joker, two guards, her overly large desk, and three chairs in. If it weren't for the small room I had now in the Asylum, I would be very claustrophobic. "They're bringing Joker down in a couple of minutes, so I gotta make it look professional."_

_Rolling my eyes, I helped move the chairs and desk around to look more "professional," and when we were finally finished, a knock came at the door, signaling Joker's arrival. "Come in!" Harleen called, shuffling some papers around on her desk before plopping down in her seat. I stood in the corner farthest from the door, waiting impatiently for my dad to arrive._

_They carted him in, straitjacket and all, practically picking him up and throwing him down in his seat, making the three of us scowl. The guards, obviously, could care less about what Joker thought, but Joe looked kinda confused about Harleen and I's immediate disdain towards them. "You can leave now," Harleen stated, pushing up her glasses on her nose._

"_Regulation states –" the one on the left began, but was cut off by my dark glare from my corner. I stood up, hands placed on my hips, and narrowed my eyes to slits as I walked closer to them._

"_Go. Away."_

"_...Fine, but holler if you need us," Joe sighed, opening the door and sliding out with his friend close behind. Once the door was closed, I ran at Joker with a big grin and threw myself at him._

_He laughed loudly as I situated myself on his lap, giving Harleen a big smile at her shocked look. "Joker and I are best friends, Harley," I explained, hugging him again._

"_I told you not to call me Harley, Jessie," she sighed as she took off her glasses and rubbed her face._

"_Harley, huh?" Joker smirked. "Like Harlequin –"_

"_Like Harlequin the Clown. Yeah, I know. Believe me, I've heard it before."_

"_Well, I like it, it brings a _smile _to my face. You know what else brings a smile to my face? This little kid right here," he nudged me, and I giggled, falling off the chair. "She's like the daughter I never had."_

"_Really? You like kids?" Harley asked with a surprised, pleased look, and leaned forward on her desk._

"_I _love_ 'em!"_

_I looked between the two from my spot on the floor, unable to keep the brilliant grin from spreading across my pink cheeks. Everything was going according to plan for me. At this rate, Harley will be my new mommy in no time..._

"You really were obsessed with this whole family thing," Robin commented, wearing a slightly concerned expression at my sudden silence. I couldn't help it, I rolled my eyes. I didn't want any form of sympathy coming from him.

I dunno why, but I felt the incredible need to justify myself against him,"Hey, if you didn't have any parents at that age, you would be like that, too."

"Actually," he began, looking down at his plate and refusing to meet my eyes. "My parents were murdered when I was nine...right in front of me."

My eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before I schooled my face into looking like I thought it wasn't a big deal – even though it really was. Jeez, both of our childhoods have sucked, haven't they? "I...really? What happened?"

He sighed, "I can't tell you. I really wish I could, but..."

"Batman's rules?" I guessed, bitterly rolling my eyes. Of course.

"Batman's rules," he confirmed.

I took an angry bite out of a fry and waved it at him, "You know, one of these days I'm going to give that overgrown flying rodent a piece of my mind...with explosives!" He snorted. "I'm being serious!"

"No, you're not."

"...I know," I whined, huffing. "But it's still a nice thought!"

"Why don't you continue your story before you start making plans to kill my mentor?"

"Ugh, fine. Let's see, where was I...Oh, yeah, Harley. Well, she became Joker's regular therapist, with me sitting in, occasionally pushing them in what I thought was the right direction. It was obvious she was infatuated with him after the first meeting, and her obsession with him grew over the course of the next few weeks. And it wasn't like he wasn't trying to make her that way, he was completely manipulating her like he had manipulated me. He even broke out of his cell just to put flowers in her office, though I'm not sure if it was Ivy's doing or not. Eventually, he convinced us both that Batman was crazy, instead of, well, us...

… "_He's crazy, you know," Joker muttered, leaning forward onto Harley's desk with a grin._

"_Who, Batman?" she asked, surprised by the sudden change in subject. I, of course, was intrigued too, having heard a lot about this Batman that all my friends seemed to hate._

"_No, Santa Claus. Of course Batman! Always Batman, Harley! Screaming mad starkers, he is! And dishonest, hiding his face behind that fright mask of his. Well, no masks for me! I have absolutely nothing to hide. I laugh at the cruel absurdity of the world. But Batman..."_

"_He's trying to trick us all!" I blurted, wide eyed from my chair in the corner. "Make us think he's more than human under that suit – that he's better than us stuck in here!"_

"_Exactly! Batman's got them all fooled. He's made everyone in Gotham think he can make a difference. That he can actually make things better. And the joke of it is, they all believe it! Every last one of them!"_

_Harley leaned forward, intrigued. "The police?"_

"_The police, the media, the frickin' junior rangers, every last sack of walking meat in this urban cesspool!" he sighed, calming himself down as much as the Joker could. "Listen, sweets, Batman knows we're on the same funhouse slide into madness, but why won't he admit it?"_

"_He's in denial, I imagine," I shrugged. "That Batman _must _think he's better than us, don't you think? He seems like the type."_

"_That's right. He's up there in his belfry laughing at us. And the real gag is, the miserable liar is allowed to run free while me and poor Jesster here are stuck in this hellhole."_

"_That's really incisive," Harley remarked, shocked at his way of thinking and how it all made complete and utter sense_ (Honestly, right now I'm just shocked she knew what that word meant)_._

"_Then you understand, don't you? You know why I do what I have to do. You know Gotham's only real savior..." he paused, face bursting into the biggest grin I've ever seen grace his face. "is me."_

"If didn't think he was crazy before," Robin began as we walked towards the park, hand in hand. While we were in the restaurant, it had started snowing, making our journey less than enjoyable, and practically guarantying a cold on my part. Robin, however, just had a bright red nose and ears. I thought it looked adorable. "I definitely think he's crazy now. Do you really think he's convinced himself that's the truth, or was he just saying that to get Quinn on board?"

"Hell if I know," I shrugged, pulling my hat farther over my ears to block out some of the whistling wind. "He's psycho."

"And that explains everything, of course," he snorted, and I punched his arm playfully. "I'm just saying...jeez you punch hard."

I rolled my eyes, "It comes with the job description."

"Speaking of the job, have you thought of what you're going to do after today?"

"You mean, go back to living on my own and robbing banks?" I clarified, and he nodded, looking apologetic. "I dunno. I mean, being a criminal is kinda my thing, you know, so that's just gonna be the way it is. I'm gonna do stuff, and you and your bat friend are going to stop me. As for where I'm living...I haven't the foggiest idea of what I'm gonna do."

"You could always...come live at the Cave..."

"I...I could?" Well, I certainly didn't expect _that. _"And that robot guy and Batman wont mind?"

"Actually, they won't, uh, know," it seemed like the more he talked about it, the more Robin thought it was a bad idea, too.

"You mean, you're going to _hide _me? Don't you think the world's greatest detective and his superpowered friends will notice something's up? I mean, it's not like your Speedster friend has a padlock for his mouth, and Manhunter _can read minds._"

He looked at me with a smirk – the same one he wears before he knocks one of Joker's goons out with ease. "You sound scared."

"Scared?" my voice's pitch went up, and I coughed. "Scared? Me? I laugh in the face of danger! Ba ha...ha...ha..."

"Yeah, you're scared."

"Okay, so what if I am? Can you blame me?" I paused, taking a deep breath. "I just...I _really _don't want to go back to Arkham, Robin."

"I thought you were the master at escaping from psychiatric prison facilities, Jess," he snorted, obviously referring to my seven break outs since I was nine.

"I've never done it _by myself, _though. Usually it was Harley or Joker helping me out...or I escaped during a riot. Believe me, getting out isn't as easy as it sounds."

"That reminds me, how _did _you end up escaping with Joker and Harley?"

"It's kind of a funny story, actually. Oh don't look at me like that, raised by Joker, remember? Anyways, our break out was scheduled for April Fools Day, which was, coincidentally, my 10th birthday. Best birthday present I ever got, I must say..."

… "_C'mere, hun, Mr J wants us to go out with a _bang_!" Harley beamed, tugging me along the halls, a gun stashed under her lab coat that all the doctors wore. It was a really big gun, too._

_We skidded to a stop in front of Joker's cell, where we was lounging on his bed with his hands behind his back. He didn't notice us until Harley leaned in and whispered, "I got what you wanted."_

"_You did?" He sat straight up, sounding shocked. "I mean...good. How did you smuggle it in...? Actually, I don't want to know. So, you ready to stop that evil, murdering bat once and for all?"_

"_Of course I am!" she replied as she pulled the gun out form under her coat, brandishing it with a proud smile."He needs to pay for what he's done to you." _

"_Give it here then, quickly!" Harley handed over the gun, and Joker cocked it once, before smashing through the glass, sounding the alarms. He began to walk down the hallway, laughing and wearing a psychotic grin, while I followed close behind, never leaving his side. "C'mon, Doc. We've got ourselves a Bat to kill."_

"_Ah ah ah. Doc's out, puddin.' Say hello to your new and improved..."she pulled off the lab coat, revealing a black and red leather costume with white diamond pattern on the black leg _(I was wearing the costume I normally wear, without all the make up or jingly shoes)._ After placing a domino mask over her eyes, she stuck a black and red jester cap on her head and gave me a similar one. "Harley Quinn and Jesster!"_

_Joker stared for a moment, before beginning to cackle, inspiring Harley to do the same. Even if I didn't quite get the joke, I began to snicker to, happily skipping after them and waving to guards that were once in Joker's way, but where now lying on the ground, bleeding profusely. "Happy Birthday, Jesster!" he shouted as we burst through the front doors and dashed out onto the street. I giggled in return, doing a cartwheel. This was the best birthday **ever...**_

..."I didn't know your birthday was April Fool's Day," Robin remarked, giving me a sly grin. "How fitting."

"Oh be quiet! When's your birthday, anyways?"

"November 11," he replied, sounding pretty indifferent.

"Ugh!" I reached out, smacking his arm. "That was a couple of weeks ago – we were friends then, and you didn't even tell me! How rude!"

"I didn't think it mattered to you!"

"Well, of course it matters to me!" I scoffed. "Gah, you're so weird sometimes! Now I feel bad for not getting you anything."

"Do you really?" I nodded. He sighed as we sat down on a snowy park bench, looking out at the frozen lake, where some kids were ice skating near the bridge. The whole park was covered in pretty white snow, the kind that made you want to take a thousand pictures of it just so you could remember what it looked like before it was ruined. "If you really feel the need to make it up to me, there's one thing you _can _do."

"Oh really?" My curiosity piqued as he reached his hand into his pocket, seemingly searching for something. "What's that?"

"I noticed you were looking at this necklace the last time you robbed that jewelry store on 85th street, and I figured if you weren't going to steal it, I was going to buy it for you," he pulled out a silver chain with a pendant dangling from it. It was in the shape of a bird – actually, a _robin – _with it's wings spread in flight. It's stomach was a pearly pink, and along it's feathers were small diamonds, with a larger diamond for it's eye. All in all, it was absolutely breathtaking.

"I...wow...and you..._wow._"

He chuckled, "I'm guessing you like it. Here, let me help you put it on." Standing up, he took the necklace from my hand and walked around the back of the bench. He looped it around my neck and shakily did the clasp, before lifting my hair and placing it over top, but not without kissing my neck quickly.

"I love it, but why is this a present for you if it's for me?" I asked once he returned to his spot beside me.

"That bird, as you probably already guessed, is a robin, just like me," he fingered the pendant as I turned to face him. "It let's everyone know you're mine."

"Hm, I don't know if I ever agreed to this, Robin," I teased. "But I might agree if you answer my question from before."

"And what question is that?"

I paused, leaning closer to him and dropping my voice down to just above a whisper."Am I your girlfriend?"

He smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, "Yeah, I'd say so. That is, if I get to be your boyfriend."

"I dunno, your ginger friend is pretty cute..."

"Jess, I'm being serious," he sighed, looking serious behind his sunglasses. He wasn't joking around anymore. I leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips,

"But of course."


End file.
